The Nut Tree returns — but is the old magic back?

I didn’t want to like the new Nut Tree I had too many fond memories of the old one.

Everything at the new Nut Tree — including this awesome train — is clean enough to eat off.

Nestled along the thrumming vein of Interstate 80, the Nut Tree in Vacaville enthralled me as a kid. Instead of pulling off the freeway for McDonald’s, you could pull off the freeway and enter a magical land where miniature trains chugged through miniature tunnels, where old-fashioned rocking horses bucked children onto the ground, where pumpkin patches teemed with scarecrows and where lollipops and licorice sticks seemed to hang from the trees.

I grew up in Fairfield and loved when autumn arrived, because it always meant a trip to the Nut Tree’s famous pumpkin patch, a train ride and a heaving cone of sweet, buttery pumpkin ice cream. Then, in 1996, the Nut Tree closed. What started as a simple roadside fruit stand and turned into a sprawling theme park, restaurant and childhood wonderland had become just another stretch of barren freeway frontage.

Vacaville always had big plans for the site, so I was disheartened to drive by one day and discover the old Nut Tree had been “regrown” — with an Old Navy store. Disheartened indeed. I noticed a sign for a “theme park” and immediately thought it must be a token playground — a swing set, maybe, or a few slides, anything to disguise the fact that a once-thriving family attraction had become a run-of-the-mill menagerie of fast-food restaurants and bargain basement clothing stores.

The logo looks pretty much the same.

On a recent trip to my mom’s house, I was determined to visit the park and to bring Emmeline along for the ride. Maybe, I thought, the park would at least have pumpkin ice cream, and she could taste a slice of my childhood.

It didn’t. It turns out it had much more.

A carousel. A tilt-a-whirl ride. A miniature roller coaster. Sailboat pond and bumper cars. Way in the back there was a rose garden with a sign that said, “Serenity Now!” And I thought I might begin to like this new Nut Tree after all. Then Emmeline spotted the train — a carnival of colors and whistles chugging along a lazy, winding track. She almost kicked herself out of my arms when the train whistled, and I smiled, recalling a time when I was that excited by the train.

The theme park worked much like a carnival. You bought a sheet of 85-cent tickets at the door and then spent them at each ride. The roller coaster and carousel cost four tickets each, while the train cost a flat fee of $3.40 per person. As far as cleanliness, it was on the same level of Disneyland. It was immaculate, and despite the winter chill, the gardens blossomed. High school-aged tour guides led flocks of children around to various rides as part of a birthday party. Though we didn’t go inside, there was a video game lounge and dining area for parties. The best part was that after awhile, we forgot the park was tucked behind a freeway mall.

While the rest of the Nut Tree is still under construction — a few stores are open, but if you’ve seen one freeway mall, you’ve seen them all — the area around the theme park has a chance to be something really special, a roadside attraction again. It, too, is still under construction in parts, but signs say there are plans for a gourmet cheese shop, an olive oil outlet, an ice cream parlor and an organic foods farmers market. While anyone over 10 might get bored after a few rides — the roller coaster tops out at two stories and contains no loops — adults can peruse the stores while their children frolic. There’s also a minor-league baseball park out beyond the theme park for those who want to stay later and enjoy a game.

Sadly, I never did find pumpkin ice cream, but there’s always next autumn — and the happy fact that I can share a little bit of my own childhood with my daughter, even if the lollipops and licorice sticks have been replaced with Best Buy.

More Info: Through March, the park will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday through Monday. The schedule changes in April, when the park will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Monday. Call l 888-448-641 for daily park hours or visit the web site here.